-LRB- EW.com -RRB- -- `` Game of Thrones '' may have broken the Internet with Sunday 's episode , but it did n't break its ratings record .

`` The Rains of Castamere '' delivered 5.2 million viewers , down slightly from the show 's all-time high set earlier this season of 5.5 million .

EW : ` Game of Thrones ' Red wedding recap

The performance is n't surprising .

EW : ` Game of Thrones ' - Rounding up ` The Red Wedding ' reactions

The episode aired after the show took a one-week break for Memorial Day weekend . And even though it was a highly anticipated hour among hardcore fans , most casual viewers had no idea the episode contained a shockingly violent wedding sequence as HBO intentionally did not promote the episode as anything out of the ordinary to help preserve the surprise . Expect the ratings to rise for next week 's finale , however , possibly to an all-time high .

See the original story at EW.com .

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Sunday 's `` Game of Thrones '' had a shocking ending

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Die hard fans knew what was coming , but HBO did n't promote

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The episode did not break records